Paint Can Melody...

Hello, Happy Sunday and Welcome to the Farm!  I hope this past week was wonderful for all of you.  Mine was "eh."  The new work week was starting and things were fine.  Then I started feeling really weird.  One minute I'd be freezing and the next minute I'd be completely burning up.  People kept telling me I was on the "hot flash track" to menopause (I just turned 50 a couple of weeks ago) and, while this may be true, this WASN'T the "hot flash track."  I just didn't feel well. Made it through Wednesday and was feeling pretty good on Thursday...or so I thought.  There I was, rockin' my work day and then it hit me.  I was sick.  Plain and simple...I was sick.  Great.  Home I went where, here it is Sunday, and I am still not feeling well.  I think I feel better because I can get up and around a little, but not for long.  Pretty sure that grocery shopping is out of the question.  

As we all know, not feeling well and having to watch every little move you make so you don't get sick any more than you have to does not mean valuable crafting time. Sucky!  Which translates to the fact that all those little fun projects I have lined up are still in line.  And they're fighting for who gets to the be the hall monitor, which is stupid considering I don't technically have a hall.  It's more of a "space."  LOL!  To be fair, I'm pretty sure projects really don't know any better so I'm just letting them fight it out on their own.  Meanwhile, I was lucky enough to remember one of my favorite projects from a while back (and, by a while back, I mean four years) that I really enjoyed doing.  It's one of the ones that I was really pleased with, which doesn't happen that often.  I see all this beautiful crafting all around the blogosphere and really wish I had that kind of talent, but I don't.  This particular one left me feeling like maybe at some point in time I would be blessed with it!

When this project was done, it was at the "paint can high" of crafting. Everyone was getting paint cans to either fill for weddings or birthdays, paint and embellish, or just plain get crafty with. On one of my trips to my favorite scrapbook store which, sadly, is no longer in existence, I found this beautiful paper and knew I had to have it.  Whaddya mean what for?  Are you crazy?  WHO has to have a reason?  It was prettiful and that's all I really needed to know.  I knew at some point I would find the perfect project for it so of course it somehow made it's way to my little basket.  I NEEEEEEDED IT!!!  From there, every time I wanted to use it, I couldn't bring myself to do it because then it would be gone and I wouldn't have any left.  Come on, quit judging my lack of logic - I know you feel the same way!  It was just one of those that I  had to have THE perfect project for.  Scrapbooking would have had it covered up some and I just couldn't bear that.  So I waited...and waited...and waited.

Then I moved here, away from all my family and friends and favorite no-longer-existing scrapbook store, which I would visit each and every time I went back until my son so rudely informed me that it was out of business.  I cried.  Literally.  Not only was it my favorite scrapbook store, but my friend owned it and I had spent many, many cropping hours there having so much fun and getting some really awesome ideas from the talented ladies that were there.  Oh, they did some beautiful work with their layouts.  Someday I really do want to achieve that level of creativity.  Anyhoo, I digress.  I moved here.  And I lived here for about a year and a half before I decided to return.  Except it didn't quite go the way I planned and then I returned here.  Are you confused yet?  Because I SURE AM!!!

So, I move back here and get a position where I am working with the most wonderful of ladies.  And I truly mean that.  There is just no one like them. Loving, kind, accepting, caring...what more could you ask for?  If I was going to be in this place without my family and friends, I was lucky enough to have these awesome peeps in my work place.  Although I've since moved positions (in the same department) these are still my favorite co-workers of all time.  They still care and they still ask me about my life (former and present).  Now, one of these ladies just happens to have the most beautiful daughter (next to mine, of course!) who has the biggest heart that I have ever seen.  At the time I made this gift, it was for  her 18th birthday; she's now 22.  Whew, where did the time go?  

So...this pretty girl that was about to turn 18 at the time just happened to love music.  She was in band and she played the oboe.  Beautifully, I might add.  When I got to know her a little and realized just what a beautiful person, inside and out, that she was, I knew the time had come to use that paper I'd been hanging on to for dear life.  Enter Ashley's music can.  I'd love to give you a more exciting and ear-catching name, but I don't have one.  Now, before you go getting all hot and bothered that I don't have a really cool name, just remember I'm still unwell.  The fact that I've had four years to come up with a name is irrelevant.

So I found this paint can at my fave scrapbook store when I went back on one of my visits and knew that I'd be using this fab paper on it.  The question was how?  I didn't want to mangle the paper; I really wanted the warmness of it to shine as the main focus.  Pooh thot and thot...oh wait, that's another story...I thought and thought and came up with the idea you see here.  Not only was this my first paint can project, but it was also my first mod podge project, which had me scared to pieces.  I could just see this globbed up can turning out so disgustingly icky.  But I was patient which, for those of you who know me in person, know is EXTREMELY rare. And by extremely, I mean once I was patient and this might have been that once. Yeah, I just am not known for that particular quality.  

Before I started, I made sure to wipe all the outside of the paint can, as well as the lid.  I did that mainly because I know how I am when I see something; I've got to pick it up and check it out and, since this was my first mod podge project, I really didn't know whether there would be an adhesion problem or not.  I am so naive when it comes to that kind of thing.  I measured and cut and mod podged my little heart out and worked diligently to make a beautiful project for Ashley's birthday. To finish off the look, I trimmed a piece of card stock and attached it at the bottom and the top rims, more for a covering up of any raw spots than anything.  But the pop of color it added really surprised me and I think it really brought out the beautiful warmth of the pattern paper.  I even managed to make a card that I actually liked too!  I was on a roll that week!  Woot!

After I had adhered everything with the mod podge and let it dry, I went back over it to seal the paper.  I didn't want any ends to start popping up and coming undone.  Once everything was dried thoroughly and sealed, I grabbed some ribbon from my stash and started going to town on the handle.  That was kind of fun in itself, I must say.  I'd never done anything so random and I was really enjoying it.  I ended up using several of my leftover odds and ends so not only did I love the look of what I was doing to the handles, but I used up some stash, enabling me to get more stash.  Hee hee hee.  I KNOW you all know what I'm talking about...getting more stash is important to our daily lives.  We NEED it. 

This is the one and only paint can project I've ever done, mainly because I just don't think I can duplicate the feeling this one has.  While you all know I'm not one to toot my own horn loudly, I am really proud of this project and I feel it turned out so beautifully.  

Music Pattern Paper by Creative Imaginations; Jewels by Doodlebug Design; Card Stock (Terra Cotta) by Close to My Heart; Mod Podge Matte-Mat by Plaid Enterprises; Wooden Mini-Frame by unknown source.

Paper, Please...

After painting the walls & cabinet
Ewww, no match at all!  Teal is out!
And notice the pinkish tinge to the
countertop?  Yuck!

Hello, Happy Sunday and Welcome to the Farm! I sincerely hope all of you have had a good enough week to make up for mine. Here it is, the middle of June, and we're still raining. Not only raining, but still cold and windy most of the time. This last week we've had several thunder and lightning storms accompanied by that frog drowning rain.   You know, that rain that if a drop hits you you're going to get a concussion?  Seriously? This is totally impinging on my painting the kitchen project! Grrrrrr.  Come on weather, straighten out your act here!  I've got things to do!

Crumpled paper bag pieces
and mod podge cuz I didn't
have glue.

One of those things would have been grocery shopping, but I did it last week.  Thank goodness! On our one good day! Trust me folks, that was a fluke. Pure and simple - it was a fluke.  I was very thankful. Hauling out groceries in the pouring rain is not my idea of fun and I was a very happy camper that I didn't have to wring out all my groceries.  That just might have sent me over the edge.  Although hubby thinks I've already gone over it, he's wrong.  I'm teetering, but I'm still up there.

Just finished putting it on and it's
still wet.

What does this have to do with today's blog, you ask?  EVERYTHING.  And I do mean everything.  The main reason I grocery shop is not to get food.  Oh heck no!!  The reason I grocery shop is to get those nice heavy paper bags that I sack my groceries in.  What would I want food for?  I've got things to do, remember?  And that means working on stuff, not cooking dinner or letting anyone else eat.  Really, people, what do I look like here, a wife or something?  Pffbbbt.  No, I've got my eyes on those brown paper bags that are heavy enough to hold a baby in (Ok, possibly a baby doll, but hey, that's a baby, right?) and lug it around.  Yes, I have plans!

Done with the first part and now
ready to dry overnight.

I've been wanting to try the brown paper bag counter top method for a while now, after seeing so many beautiful pictures on other blogs.  The first one that I saw and to this day is still my very favorite, was done by Susan from Compulsive in Texas. You can see her post right here.  I am not kidding in the least when I tell you that she did the most awesome job I've seen. I totally love it! It's beautifully done and looks so incredibly warm and cozy. I took my direction from her post and did the same process she did. Minus the stain. I wanted it; Mr. Scrappin did not, so we went without. I figured I could compromise on this since he does have to live with it too. And although I went without any kind of stain, I think it will work perfectly for out kitchen.

Polycrylic goes on milky but dries
clear.  Don't worry!

As you know, we've been painting (or trying to) the kitchen and its cabinets to spruce things up a bit.  It's coming along, slowly because of weather, but it is coming along. And I love it so far.  Problem was that those old counter tops just DO NOT match at all. Nor does the tile back splash and counter trim.  Hubby bought this place brand new and back then (in the early 90s) teal was in.  Really in.  I remember doing a quilt for my friend for her wedding in the teal and peach colors and it was incredibly beautiful.  I can even remember having a little bit of those colors in my own house back then.  Fast forward to now...and...NO.  Uh uh, no way Jose', ain't happenin' Lucy!  It has to go.  

This is the polycrylic I used.

Off came the back splash and counter trim (I did break one piece of tile in the corner, darn it) so I could start my project.  I have to admit I was a little nervous as I started this.  After all, covering something up, even if it is ugly, is sort of intimidating.  This is my kitchen, that everyone who comes here will see, and not just a little thing that I can hide if it's ugly. What if it doesn't turn out like I planned. What happens if I don't like it?  I really don't want to have to pull it all back up.  That would totally be a pain in my bazoo.  I took a deep breath; actually, several deep breaths and went to work.  

All finished!  I love it!

After I cleaned the counter top thoroughly, I ripped some paper bags while it was drying. That was the fun part.  Ripping is like cleansing the soul.  There should be a song about it.  I did all kinds of random sizes just because. Then I crumpled the paper pieces up to get some texture from them.  That was hard for me since I don't have a lot of strength in my right arm, but I did it.  Then I dipped the paper in some mod podge and smeared it all over to make sure I got every part of the paper.  You don't want to miss any spots so it stays down! Now, normally, I would have followed Susan's instructions to use Elmer's Glue...1 part glue to 2 parts water, but I didn't have any. And since it was raining and I was still in my pajamas (It was Saturday - don't judge!), I wasn't going anywhere to get any. I will do that on the way home from work Monday. So, for this tiny little counter, mod podge it was. I won't lie, it's messy. But I can do messy since I practically invented it. Hahahaha

Another view of the finished product!

This did take me a bit of time, but it was a relaxing kind of thing.  No hurrying at all. Once I got the counter top all covered, it was time to leave it alone.  Just...leave it alone.  In Susan's instructions, it says to leave it to dry overnight, which is what I did.  It's amazing how it looks when it dries. And it feels good too.  :)  Bonus!  So, this morning I got up and did my first coat of poly acrylic.  I wanted several coats since this is a counter top that is actually used (I know, who'd a thunk it?  Using a counter top in the kitchen?  No way!) quite frequently.  I figure several coats will give me the protection I need. Now, the poly acrylic that I used says that after 24 hours you can use it like you normally would, but I think I'm going to wait a couple of days before I put things back on the counter top.  Just because.  Since there are seven layers of poly, I don't think it will hurt to take extra drying precaution.  I will be doing the back splash to match the counter...just waiting for hubby to bring me the wood.

Aaannnndddd...the other side.

During this process, I sent pictures via text to my sons and daughter.  One son asked if I realized that knives are sharper than paper. Smart aleck!  I have no idea where he gets that attitude from!  Today when I sent him a new picture, he said it looked cool.  He might actually be serious but I can't tell yet.  It could also be that he's on the line with Mr. Scrappin trying to make arrangements for me to have a special stay somewhere.  Only time will tell.

All I know is that this is a fairly easy process, although a little time consuming, but I love the end result.  My kitchen is starting to look warm and comfy, and like someone actually lives here and cares about it.  For a while, at least until I get all the counter tops done, I'll be saying "paper please" at the grocery store.  :)  Who knows, I might even find other things to do with them.

I Like the Spice Life, Baby...

Good morning, Happy Sunday and Welcome to the Farm!  And welcome to June, too.  Do you see the exclamation points after that sentence?  No?  Well, it's because here we are in JUNE, with our weather still being cold.  Makes me very, very cranky. Seriously, WHEN will it start to warm up?  This California-born girl is not handling this very well.  Seems like every year it takes longer and longer for it to get warm and then it's fall and it's not warm anymore.  I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! Someone send me some warm vibes, would ya?  Please?

Mr. Weatherman, please send me some warmth.  I NEEEEEED it!  I truly do!  Alas, the dang weather person is not giving me my wish, so I have to do it myself.  What is wrong with this world today?  No one likes to be giving anymore.  Sheesh.  What did I ever do to the weather people to get this kind of treatment? Well, I still ramble...but, since I have to spice things up myself, this is what I came up with.  Spice jars.  I know, I know, not exactly the spice of life or the greatest  spice up in the weather, but it's something!  And heaven knows...I need something!  LOL

A lot of you can probably relate to the dilemma of opening that cabinet door to get out your oregano, basil, whatever spice or herb you're looking for, just to have to sift through 50 million of the things to find the one you want.  What - you don't have 50 million of them?  Where have you been?  Are you a pod people or something?  Seriously, WHO doesn't have a bazillion spices in their cupboard?  Sorry, I was feeling a little alone and overwhelmed there.  Anyhoo, as I was saying...the sifting, the moving, the "ah crud, I don't even have any of that" and the "why do I have four bottles of this" quandary.  It's ridiculous.

One would think that we could keep our spices neatly stored where they belong, but noooooooo.  No matter what I do, those little buggers come out at night and move themselves around in all kinds of ridiculous places and then I can't find the one I want when I need it.  Now, I've always been an organized cupboard gal, but I just don't know how the spices get so messed up.  It can't be because I continually use them so a different one makes it to the front every time. And it certainly can't be because my cupboards are messy.  They most certainly are not!  Ask anyone that knows me, they'll tell you I'm very OCD about my cupboards. Sad, but very, very true.

Last week as I was once again rooting through those darn things, looking for something I SWEAR I bought, I couldn't find it.  Turns out I bought something I already had and not what I actually needed.  Great.  Now I'm a little miffed.  Spices are not cheap.  They are VERY not cheap.  I've actually thought of selling blood or plasma or one of my grown children just so I could have money for a bottle of spice when I needed it.  Hey, I'm getting desperate!  I'm sure that's why Erma Bombeck (God rest her soul, she was a wonderful woman) said, "Once you get a spice in your home, you have it forever. Women never throw out spices. The Egyptians were buried with their spices. I know which one I'm taking with me when I go."

Anyhoo, as I was sitting in my craft room on the computer, I was looking around me and happened to eye these cute little jars I bought a couple of years ago for an "anything goes" project for a stamp group that I belonged to.  I had used those jars to hold M&Ms (one still has some in it).  Hmmm, I have two left (including the one with the candy, which means I may be forced to eat it).  Of course, I immediately wondered if they would be a good size to use to make myself some matching spice jars.  They are totally cute, small enough to not cause a scene, and SHOULD hold enough of something to be useful.  After all, they hold several M&Ms just fine, and we all know that spices are not as big and bulky as M&Ms.  Right?  We ALL know that, right?  HUMOR ME, HERE!

My next thought was how to label them.  I am a huge fan of the chalkboard look, and my first thought was to chalkboard paint the fronts and write on them.  But then I saw something with glass etching and went "ooohhh, ahhhhh" to myself.  Shoot.  What's a girl to do?  So, like any normal person, I took a jar to work with me and asked Shelly and Leslie for their opinions.  It's very important to get feedback.  Well, they were NO help.  Leslie said, "definitely chalkboard paint."  Shelly said, "but the glass etching...oooh."  Thanks girls..thanks a lot. Where do I find these people?  That dilemma went on for several days.  I just couldn't figure it out.  Love the chalkboard, but glass etching is so pretty.  Enter Michaels.  Shelly and I just happened to end up there (not sure how that happened) and we looked at the glass etching stuff.  Um...expensive!  For what you get, the glass etching cream is expensive.  This stuff better be good and go a long way at that price.  Then we looked at the letter templates.  Glass etching wasn't going to work for this project.  The letters were not small enough to fit a whole name on the front of the jars.  Bummer. But I will still use my little tiny bottle of etching cream for something else.  I bought a small (3 oz) bottle for $12.99.  I have an idea.  hee hee hee

That same evening, I had to go to Safeway, which just happens to be right by Staples. Well, a few stores down, but hey, who's talking distance?  Of course, Staples is one of my favorite places, so in I went.  Leslie had told me about some labels that were chalkboard labels so I thought maybe that would be less messy.  Nope. They're too big.  Curse you, too big chalkboard labels!  But then, I saw some different labels.  And they're very cute.  In the same section.  By Martha Stewart (and no, I am not a groupie, but Martha does have some great stuff sometimes). Little kraft labels, in cute little shapes.  Oh goodness, THIS WAS IT! Angels were singing and bells were ringing (technically it was the fire truck siren as it went by, but hey, ringing is ringing)!  These would be perfect!

I grabbed me a package (there are 36 labels in one package) and headed home. Yay, I was one happy girl!  Hubby was on a field trip so it was just me and I promptly went to the computer to play with my labels.  How fun!  I looked up some little tidbits about each spice and used them for my labels.  The font I chose was very plain; I wanted it to just attract the eye, not overwhelm it or make you squint because you can't actually read it.  THAT was fun!  Putting the labels together was easy once I figured out how I wanted them to look.  Ooh, one sheet done; time to print!  Uh, printing was A NIGHTMARE.  No matter how much or how many times I adjusted my printer, it was almost impossible to have the labels print out properly. I ended up with one good sheet, which was my last sheet.  The others were ruined. The labels would not align as they looked on the template no matter what.  I was totally disgusted.  I was even using the template program that went with Martha's labels, which was user friendly as far as making the labels, but didn't let me save them like I wanted.

Well, with that last sheet finally printed out correctly, I had no labels left.  But I wrote down the settings I had used and got more labels.  I knew they would print right now that I'd fixed it.  NOPE!  I didn't even get one good sheet out of the next pack.  As much as  I love the look of these labels, I will not be using them again.  At least not to print on.  It's frustrating.  At $3.99 per pack, I have one good sheet out of $8 worth of labels.  I'm not very happy about that.  

The labels that did work out are adorable.  I love how they look, and I love that they fit perfectly on my jars and they look like something you could get in a store. Love, love, love the look.  However, I will be hunting down some self-adhesive kraft paper in a lighter weight in order to finish the labels off, and I will be using my nestabilities or my sizzix to cut the labels out.  Sorry Martha, your label template issues are not for me; I don't feel like wasting all my hard-earned money.  Nosiree jimbob, that will not be happening.  As a side note, once I attached the labels to the jars, I did mod podge the allspice one, just to see if the extra protection was worth it to me. It wasn't.  It smeared my ink, even though it had been dry a while, and the coating of mod podge made the labels look almost dirty.  Now, I used an ink jet printer, so I'm sure that's why the ink smeared.  It doesn't dry like it does with a laser printer.  If you're using a laser printer, you should be just fine.

Anyhoo, labels are on, jars are cute, and I'm ready to hang them.  Oh, did I say hang them? Well, yes I did.  I am actually going to hang these on the wall instead of putting them in the cabinet.  I think they're fun to look at, fun to read (the little tidbits) and I want easy access. So...I will be getting one or two of those magnetic tool bars (like the ones in a mechanic shop) to hang them from.  Hubby will attach the tool bars, I will adhere the magnets to the backs of the jars and voila!  Magnetic spice rack all my own.  Even with the frustration of the labels, I really like the finished product so I am very happy with them.

Good thing...I have 50 million spices to store and, as they say, "variety is the spice of life."  

Snap lid jars (3 inch) from Darice; Kraft labels from Martha Stewart; Font is Ariel.

Olive Meets Versailles...Part 2

A beautiful number 3!

Hello, Happy Sunday, and Welcome to the Farm!  It's also Mother's Day, so I'd like to wish all of you moms out there the best day ever!  I hope you have the most spectacular day of the year, surrounded by your family as they pamper, pamper, pamper you!!!!! (Sorry, those of you that are fathers, you'll have to wait until next month.)  What do you have planned?  A barbecue?  Lovely brunch or dinner at a nice restaurant?  I'm sure that whatever your plans are, they will be superbly fun.  Mr. Scrappin' and his older brother, Mark, have decided to fix dinner for me, Christi (my sis-in-law) and their mom, Twyla.  Very nice, don't you think?  With this family, there should be a lot of laughing and teasing going on.  

Flourishes in the corners - love it!

Part of my plan for Mother's Day was to finish my little dresser/cabinet/whatever that thing is that I started last week.  You can see the beginnings of Olive's transformation RIGHT HERE.  Yes, I was wanting Olive to be able to get the rest of her beauty treatment so that she would feel so loved.  I DID IT!!!  I actually finished her!  And, OH MY HECK, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how she turned out!  She got some more dressing up after her paint and wax job, and I hope she's feeling like royalty now.  She is going in my sewing room TODAY, where she will have a spot of honor by the window.  Yay!

New knobs!  Perfect!

After I painted and waxed her, I thought about painting the handles that she came with and putting them back on.  I pondered that for several days.  I really do like those handles; they're just different than most.  But after thinking it over carefully, I really wanted a different look for Olive, so I ordered her some new knobs.  They're actually made for wood cabinet doors,  but who cares?  Nothing is too good for my little stand-by-me girl!  And I thought that they would fit her perfectly.  I got them Thursday and was so happy to see them!  Olive needed some TLC after just sitting at the end of the kitchen all week, all alone and lonely.  I couldn't very well move her yet since I wasn't finished, so she just  had to tough it out.  Did I mention in my last post that she's a trooper? Yeah, I thought so.

One drawer down - two to go

I knew that she needed some kind of creative something to spice her up a little, and I thought about the metal numbers that I had ordered a while back for a different project.  Nah, I don't want any additional holes in her and I didn't want to hot glue either. I wanted something just a little different.    Hmm...AHA! I've been wanting to try some vinyl designs using my cricut and  have never gotten around to it.  About a month ago I bought a deep cut housing and a couple of extra blades for it, so I suppose now I needed to get the vinyl.  I had been waiting on getting vinyl because I was going to do a project with my daughter for her kitchen but, alas, this was going to come first. JoAnn Fabric, here I come.  Since I don't live in the town I work in and we don't have a craft store of any kind in my town, I figured I would just stop after work.  It's almost on my way home; just a slight detour.

Front is finished!

Dilemma:  what color vinyl do I want to use on Olive? I thought about brown to bring out some more of that rustic dark wax color.  I thought about green to bring out some more of that Versailles and Olive combination.  I looked at the yellow and laughed because I loved it but it was definitely NOT for this particular project!  Black.  Black it is.  Especially when I saw that it was a matte black and not a shiny, glossy one.  Shiny and glossy just won't fit for Olive.  She's more regal and old-fashioned than that.  

Top is finished!

Now that I've got the vinyl, what designs or impressions do I want to put on her?  Something fun, but not stuffy.  After all, she deserves a break after all the hard work she's done for me.  And she'll be sporting this new look for a WHILE so I want her to be happy.  I spent last evening going through my cartridges to see what I'd like for Olive.  I chose some flourishes from the Storybook cartridge, which is a super great design AND font cartridge.  I cut out some numbers and some flourishes for her drawers.  Ooh, lovely!  Just what I had in mind!  After I applied them to her, I loved them even more.  They were perfect for what I wanted her to look like!

A view of front, side and top

AFTER:
Beautifully fab!  :)

I was actually very pleased with the drawers now. Great knobs, numbers and flourishes really dressed them up and made them look a little elegant, a little fun and a lot interesting. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! Except now the top looked a little bland and not quite as interesting as I had pictured.  Now what?  I don't really want the same designs on the top as on the drawers because the intricacy of them would be too much (at least in my mind). I went back to the cartridge and picked another sort of flourish and cut it out much larger than the others. Perfect size for the top and I love the rounded corners on them. Then, for a little humor, since Olive has been waiting so patiently, I got out my Graphically Speaking cartridge and cut her a phrase to put on top.  I fiddled with putting it right in the middle on  her top, but I didn't really like it.  It was more stuffy looking than I wanted.  So I off-sided it, both centering and height-wise.  Just a little whimsical and off enough to be different but still fun.

Ah, she is definitely finished now, and she is beautiful! I'm so glad Olive met Versailles and that she has had such a good time being made over!

Swivel ring drawer pulls from Keystone Accents; Vinyl (Black) from Cricut Cuttables; Flourish designs and numerals from Cricut Storybook cartridge; Phrase from Cricut Graphically Speaking cartridge.

Olive Meets Versailles...Part 1

Dull, drab and scratched up

Hello, Happy Sunday and Welcome to the Farm! I'm hoping you all have had a fabulous week, with another great one coming up!  It's been pretty busy up this way (or down this way, depending on where you live) as people start bustling about again now that the weather is starting to show its nice side. Hubby was out planting today so soon enough there will be barley and hay growing (hopefully in abundance).  Me?  Uh, no I was not outside.  You could have already guessed that, right?  LOL  Yes, in our little neck of the woods, Mr. Scrappin' does all the outside stuff and I don't (do anything).  While he relies on the weather for how our farm produces, I rely on the weather to be warm.  Different points of view here, folks.

Stained, funky top

While Hubby was out planting today, I was attempting to finish up the project I had started last week.  I didn't quite accomplish all of it, but the only thing remaining is the handles so I can complete that this week.  Mr. Scrappin' said he'd paint the handles for me, but I don't know if he'll have enough time or not.  This is the beginning of his super busy time and it lasts all summer.  I may never see him again, come to think of it.  Maybe I'd better have him do those handles FIRST!  I know, I know, he works hard on the farm but, hey...a girl's gotta have her handles!  Really, those handles and anything else I put on Ms. Olive's front will be the focus of next week's blog.  For now, let's just look at her from frumpy to fab body!

First coat of Versailles on sides
Olive for the trim

This little metal dresser thingy (I really don't know what it actually is) is something I've had for several years now.  I bought her at a yard sale for eight dollars back in 2003, if that tells you anything.  And she's always been ugly.  She was ugly when I bought her and she's remained ugly until now.  Poor thing.  I really did feel sorry for her, but I didn't really know what I wanted to do with her before now.  She's been such a handy helper, holding everything from extra scrapbooks to sewing supplies to pictures to you name it. Really, she's one of the best purchases I've EVER made.  She's sturdy, roomy and just the right height to match the top of my desk.  Yes, I've used her relentlessly and she has served me well.

Color doesn't show well in this pic, but
the contrast shows up great

Since I've been revamping my spaces to make them more usable for my needs, (translation - Hubby moving everything around in my sewing and craft rooms AGAIN) this little gal has been sitting in the middle of my craft room floor. I knew it was time to give her a facelift or some sort of beautifying surgery, but what? What could I do that would make her look beautiful?  Beautiful in a way that I'd never seen but knew she deserved?  Yeah, you got it - Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  By the way, this was only my second experience with ASCP (the first was my lovely chair) and my first experience doing it by myself.  Believe me, I was sure that Jessica, owner of Paint In My Hair, was going to come crashing in any moment and tell me I was doing it wrong.  Thankfully, she never came.  Yay!  That must have meant I was doing something right!  Actually, I remembered her telling me that I couldn't really do anything wrong, so I was hoping against hope that she was right as I worked on my little gal.

Isn't she lovely?  Dark wax
with a swirly motion!

Now, as much as I love how she's taken care of me, I'm sad to say that she did not EVER get the proper recognition of place.  She's always been relegated to a corner or somewhere that I can pile stuff on top of her to add to what she's already holding in her drawers.  I know those Sizzix dies were quite heavy when she was holding them, but she never complained once.  I *heart* her.  She's a trooper.  And I could never, ever get rid of her.  Eight dollars was a steal for her! Anyhoo, I digress...it's her turn for a nice, in-depth beauty treatment and I was happy to give her one.

Funky top gone; new top gorgeous!

I actually got the idea for her colors when I took my chair class. One of the things I received when I took it was a color chip list. Annie Sloan has some pretty cool colors, by the way.  I thought maybe my little gal would look pretty cool in a couple of contrasting but coordinating colors.  The hard part was deciding which ones!  Since I was going to be moving her from my craft room into my sewing room where she was going to once again be put in charge of sewing supplies, fabrics and other important things, I decided she needed to be somewhere in my favorite color scheme, which is green.  I know, you have all heard that green is my favorite color.  Sorry, I just can't help it. The two colors I chose for her are different, but very nice, and they coordinate beautifully.  I thought she'd look lovely.  She definitely couldn't look any worse!  I told her I was going to be daring with her, and she agreed to go through the transformation.  I dare say she might even have been a little excited to shed her dull, drab appearance.

Drawers all finished!

My little friend got a thorough cleaning before I set to work on her.  After all, she needed to be ready for her makeover!  On her top and sides, I painted her with a coat of ASCP Versailles.  Oh, beautimous!  Already, she was becoming like the ugly duckling transforming into the swan!  I was going to love this!  I let that coat dry and gave her another a little later.  I painted the trim around the top with a coat of ASCP Olive.  Oh, the contrast was awesome!  I'm pretty sure she was feeling a little flirty at that point!  On the top of her, instead of being just a flat surface, it is raised somehow, like someone put a big piece of tile or something on there. You can see the ridge and the height adjustment when you're looking at her.  It's not much of a difference, but enough to make me think about how I wanted to paint her on the top.  I taped off the flat area at the edges and carried the Olive up to that point.  I liked the way it looked; just a tad bit of dimension there.

Love the contrast after it's
been dark waxed!

After I finished with her main body, I painted the drawers in ASCP Olive.  Definitely loving these two colors together.  She was going to be gorgeous!  I was really feeling good about this!  After letting everything dry, it was time to seal her or leave her as is.  I definitely was tempted to leave her as is since the ASCP can be used as a chalkboard if left unsealed after painting.  My mind was quickly changed when I remembered how long she had sat there for me, so faithfully, in that dull, icky brown peeling paint.  She deserved much more beauty treatment after all that time standing by me.  Now, dark wax or clear wax?  I went back and forth on that one for a LONG time. Dark wax eventually won out as I decided she would look just perfect in an older, more comfortable kind of look.  It did cross my mind to do a bit of distressing, but I chose not to.  I wanted her to feel beautiful and like she fit in, like a part of the family. After all, she's lived with me for nine years now; she SHOULD be family, right?

Almost finished; just need the
drawer handles done.

So...dark wax, with a swirling motion.  It's more like a worn leather look than just a sealed look. Not a distressed or just painted kind of look.  She's got a unique look that no one else has, and I love her! I love that the swirling motion I used made the dark wax show lightly in some places and heavy in others. It's a great look for her!  

I have to admit that this was one of my favorite projects to date.  So incredibly easy with the painting; the wax made it look worn, and Olive got to meet Versailles!  

Paints (Versailles, Olive and Dark Rustic Wax) by Annie Sloan Chalk Paints.